The invention relates to a transmission, such as an infinitely or continuously variable speed transmission with pulleys having conical flanges, with a first pair of conical flanges and a second pair of conical flanges, each pair having an axially movable and an axially fixed conical flange, and looped torque transmitting means trained over the pairs of conical flanges, with at least one energy storing device disposed to operate between an axially fixed element and an axially movable conical flange.
Such transmissions became known, for example, from the published German patent application Ser. No. 195 44 644 and the corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,730. For example, such transmission can employ a coil spring, e.g., a compression spring, in order to achieve the establishment of a stress between an axially fixed element and an axially shiftable conical flange.
If such transmissions employ a cylindrical spring, it can happen that, when the spring is subjected to a pronounced axial stress, individual convolutions of the spring yield radially outwardly and become clamped between the axially movable conical flange and the axially fixed element. This entails the development of a pronouced adverse effect upon the operation of the transmission.